Hungarian Nazi capture plot 'made in Israel'

Wiesenthal Center says capture of 97-year-old Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary was made possible due to cooperation with British paper. Holocaust survivors: It's too late because he has already lived his life

The most wanted Nazi criminal in the world, Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary,
who was located in Budapest on Sunday, was captured thanks to information obtained by the Wiesenthal Center, head of the Israel office Efraim Zuroff said on Sunday.

Ninety-seven-years-old Laszlo is accused of complicity in the deaths of 15,700 Jews during World War II.

Busted

Report: Most wanted Nazi tracked down in Budapest / Ynet

The Sun says its reporters found Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, who 'took pleasure in beating women with whip' while serving as police commander in Kassa ghetto. ''No I didn’t do it, go away from here,' he tells reporters who confront him

"I confirm that Laszlo Csatary was identified and located in Budapest," said Zuroff. "This whole operations was 'made in Israel.' It's the product of our work in cooperation with (British newspaper) The Sun," Zuroff told Ynet.

"It was important for us to cooperate (with the newspaper) so that it gets wide media coverage, more than we can ever achieve," he said, adding that The Sun invested large funds in tracking and even confronting Csatary "in hopes that the coverage would increase the pressure on the courts and public opinion in Hungary, as well as the world at large."

According to Zuroff, the affair is a proof of inadequacy of the Hungarian authorities, which knew for 14 years that he is living in peace and quiet. It is shocking especially these days, when anti-Semitism is overflowing in Hungary."

'Too late'

Pension Gesner, 88, said "we were in Košice until we were transferred to Auschwitz in April 1944. I don't remember Csatary clearly, but I've heard his name.

"Why do God give these people such long lives?" Gesner wondered. "It's too late cause he has already lived his life. As it is you don't have much of a life at that age."

Holocause survivor Marianna Boaz was not consoled by the news either: "It's a disgrace for humanity that he has only been captured now and what happened with Demjanjuk can happen again," she said.

"It might be better than never, but the world is still silent because he got to live his life, unlike others, whose deaths are his fault," Boaz noted.

Eva Franick seemed more content, saying that the news made her feel good. "It's nice to know that there are people out there who still care about serving justice to those people, because we no longer have the strength.

"Even if he is 97, having his life end like this is also a punishment," she said.

The British newspaper said Sunday on its online site that the Hungarian Nazi war criminal "was identified and found" in the Hungarian capital.

"Ten months ago, an informant gave us information with which we have located Csatary Laszlo in Budapest. This informant received a $25,000 premium that we offered in exchange for the information," said Zuroff, adding that "The Sun was able to photograph and film him with information we had provided them in September 2011."

Zuroff noted that the information had been forwarded to the Budapest prosecutor's office in September 2011.

Deputy Prosecutor Jeno Varga has not been able to confirm the information, merely declaring that "an investigation is underway. The prosecution will examine the information received."